Racks designed to carry bicycles on motor vehicles are plentiful and are found in a variety of designs and configurations but each of them possess disadvantages which are resolved by the rack of the present invention, at least with respect to pickup truck type of vehicles. Many of the racks are described in U.S. Patents, the most pertinent of which are described below.
A vehicle mounted foldable bicycle carrier is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,608 which utilizes U-shaped channels members to support the wheels of a bicycle however the remaining portion of the rack is markedly dissimilar to the rack of the present invention and could not be mounted in the bed of a pickup truck.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,398,763 discloses a load carrier for a motor load vehicle which is generally constructed over the sides of a light delivery van but the structure as taught by the patentee could not be used in the same manner or for the same purpose as the carrier of the present invention.
Many pickup truck bicycle racks mount inside of the truck bed and secure the bicycle front fork with the wheel removed. Bicycles and other types of cargo may, of course, be carried in the bed of a pickup truck without any rack or other support at all, but in so doing valuable space within the bed of the truck is occupied when, by utilizing the rack of the present invention, that space could be saved.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a bicycle rack for pickup trucks which can mount at least two "race ready" bicycles without compromising the bed space for other cargo.
A second object of the invention is to provide a bicycle rack for a pickup truck which is readily accessible and does not require that the bicycle be lifted far overhead for placement into the cradling parts of the rack.
A third object of the invention is to provide a bicycle support for attachment to a truck type of vehicle which will support the bicycle by its wheels, the one constant feature of bicycle design.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bicycle support which may be collapsed or folded into an out-of-the-way position when not carrying its cargo.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a bicycle rack of the type described which, through the double usage of the novel supporting framework of the rack, a small boat or similar load can be supported over the bed without the consumption of truck bed storage space.
Another object of the invention is to provide a kind of "side saddle" mounting rack which will not interfere with rear view vision from the driver's station in the vehicle, either through a standard windshield mounted rear view mirror or side mounted mirrors but will, at the same time, afford the driver an opportunity to maintain a close watch on the cargo being transported on the rack of the present invention through the side mirrors on the vehicle.
Other and still further objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon a reading of the detailed description of a preferred form of the invention which follows.